4 food parks, entailing ` 500 cr investment

Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Food Processing Minister, said that the government is likely to allocate four food parks, entailing an investment of 500 crore under Mega Food Parks scheme. Under this scheme (2008-09), the Food Processing Ministry had sanctioned 42 projects throughout the country. Of these, 25 parks have already been allocated. Based on the cluster approach, they are modelled on hub and spoke architecture and facilitate the establishment of a strong food processing industry.

This is to be backed by an efficient supply chain which includes collection centres, central processing centres (CPC) and cold chain infrastructure.

In March 2015, the government had allocated 17 mega food parks, out of which 10 were to private companies including the Adani Group and Ruchi Soya and the remaining seven were allocated to the state government PSUs.

Warehouses must be designed and built according to the general location with respect to natural calamities and external influences. It is important to assess the safety and security of the establishment (nearest fire stations and police stations). Storage areas should be built with specific consideration of the items being stored. National, regional and local regulations should be adhered to and the industrial proximity and connectivity to a multi-modal

Two key factors for theft are value of goods stored and the ease with which the goods can be stolen. Valuable goods that are heavy or difficult to transport are not as attractive as those that are easily transported. The anti-intrusion and anti-theft measures fitted in warehouses vary as widely as the products stored in them. Protection systems need to be looked at on an individual basis, selecting the most suitable measures according to have secure locks fitted. Installing steel bars on window and skylights are the best preventive delay methods. Also, if the warehouse keys are easily accessible to anyone, any security system is useless.

Anti-intrusion protection in warehouses is often based on the use of motion and infra-red detectors. The detectors should be installed as necessitated by the layout of warehouse that must include openings such as doors,

The recent Chennai deluge brought forth many incidents of poor warehousing in the city. The ‘godowns’ were not capable of handling such emergency and caused damages worth several crore. To reduce the water damage to warehouse buildings and goods stored broad line preventive measures can be adopted. Construction measures aimed at containing and transporting water in a controlled manner, such as walls or drainage channels around the building. Measures should be undertaken to elevate structures and buildings. These should be considered at the building design stage. Water which enters buildings in an uncontrolled manner can affect machinery and stored goods. This can be prevented by stacking the goods on wooden or plastic pallets rather than directly on the floor, reducing the possibility of damage due to rain or leaking pipes.

Roofs can collapse due to structural faults resulting from poor design or an excessive accumulation of hailstones or snow on the roof. Proper design of roofs and gutters can prevent such damages.

The principal purpose of a well-designed and adequately maintained warehouse is to ensure that the receipt, protection and dispatch of goods are carried out as efficiently as possible. To achieve this goal, the important requirements should not only include factors such as location near the final customer, ease of transport, flexible storage spaces and proper sizing of the warehouse. It is also vital to guarantee the safety of the stored goods and the warehouse itself. In conclusion, the company must have a proper maintenance policy for its warehousing facilities and the best housekeeping and cleaning practices must be followed.